1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the handling of explosive materials, and more particularly, to a mine and explosive clearing machine and implement that includes an implement removably attached to a long reach hydraulic excavator to form the complete machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous automated and semi-automated machines and devices have been developed in the past for the purpose of clearing, exploding, and/or disarming explosive devices planted in the ground or elsewhere. The purpose of such machines is of course to remove the operator(s) of the machines from harm's way, insofar as possible. The vast majority of encounters with such mines and explosive devices is by the military, and as a result most mine and explosive clearing machines have been developed for attachment to the front of an armored tank or similar military vehicle having sufficient shielding to protect the crew. These devices have been adapted to be pushed by the tank or other vehicle in order that the mine or explosive clearing apparatus would encounter an explosive device before the vehicle, in an attempt to save the vehicle from significant damage.
However, the result of such pusher mechanisms is that the linkage between the tank or other vehicle and the explosive clearing apparatus is relatively short by necessity, in order to provide the required rigidity for the assembly. This has the effect of placing the operating vehicle, and thus its crew, relatively close to the mine and explosive clearing apparatus, thereby placing the vehicle and its crew at considerably greater risk than would be the ease if the clearing machine were positioned at some distance from the vehicle. However, there is no good alternative for this potentially hazardous situation so long as the mine and explosive clearing apparatus is pushed by its operating vehicle.
Nearly all such pusher-type mine and explosive clearing devices incorporate plow-type blades similar to snow plow blades, to push plowed debris forward and to the side of the advancing vehicle behind the machine. A few others utilize a heavy crawler-type tractor (e.g., D-7 Caterpillar Tractor, etc.) with its conventional forwardly disposed blade. All such blades have a wide span and relatively large surface area, with no provision for dissipating the force of the blast from an explosive device. While such blades achieve the desired result of plowing the ground and uncovering (and detonating) most mines encountered and deflecting the resulting blast to some degree, an explosive device of sufficient size can result in severe damage to the blade and its attachment structure due to the large area of the blade receiving a substantial percentage of the blast force. When this occurs, the mine clearing apparatus comprising the blade, its attachment and control structure, and its operating vehicle, is taken out of commission, regardless of the protection provided to the operator or crew.
Another limitation of such vehicles is that they cannot be used extensively for dredging operations to clear a flooded area of mines or explosives. In some instances, mines may have been placed in low-lying areas that subsequently became flooded, and most armored tanks and similar vehicles are limited regarding the depth of water they may negotiate. Also, while their crawler-type tracks generally provide excellent traction, they find their limits in excessive mud and in swampy areas.
Mines and explosive devices are also often placed in urban areas, in narrow streets and alleyways that cannot be negotiated by a relatively wide tank or Caterpillar tractor or the like. These explosive devices are often in the form of smaller anti-personnel mines and explosives that may not do serious damage to a large armored vehicle, but will seriously injure or kill a soldier or other individual who happens to set it off. Many such devices are not buried in the ground due to paving or other difficulties, but may be detonated by a trip wire or the like strung across a narrow pathway between structures. If the area is too narrow for a military tank or the like, a person walking through the area is likely to trip the trip wire and detonate the explosive device before it can be cleared or detonated by a machine.
Thus a mine and explosive clearing machine and implement solving the aforementioned problems is desired.